PrepTest 101, Section 4, Question 1
Wherever the crime novels of P. D. James(445 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(6 more words not shown)
- ABecause P. D.(20 more words not shown)
- BBecause the requirements(21 more words not shown)
- CThe dichotomy between(15 more words not shown)
- DThe critics who(22 more words not shown)
- EAlthough her plots(22 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We already predicted the main point: James is ready to move beyond the restrictions of detective fiction. The discussion acknowledges her talent and her weaknesses, then asks why she should squeeze her ambitions into a genre that no longer seems to fit.
What we’re looking for
Now we want a version of that recommendation. A true observation about her descriptions or her critics won't be enough unless it captures where the argument ends.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This matches our prediction. The last paragraph rejects rules that “cramp creative thought” and recommends moving into mainstream fiction (paragraph 4). If “mainstream” initially seems more specific than our prediction, check the ending: the writer explicitly proposes it.
- B
We aren't told that popular novels are incompatible with creative expression. James's difficulty with the constraints of this genre doesn't establish that broader conflict.
- C
The opening calls the supposed division between enjoyable fiction and serious literature a “false opposition.” This treats that division as valid and misses the recommendation about what James should do next.
- D
The writer criticizes James's plotting: her devices can be “shameless and thin,” and the detective's route to the solution can be unclear. Carefully constructed plots therefore aren't the defense offered here. This also stops at a claim about the critics instead of giving the main recommendation.
- E
The descriptions receive praise, but that praise doesn't justify keeping James in the crime genre. The conclusion points her toward mainstream novels. This attaches the wrong recommendation to a real strength.
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